Georgia Southern University’s Waters College of Health Professions has selected a group of alumni and local health experts to make up the Waters College Advisory Board (WCAB) to support and facilitate the success of the college.
Established in 2022, the WCAB provides advice, counsel and ideas to members of the college on a variety of issues including programs, placement and the competitive environment of education in the health professions.
“The advisory board was established to aid in the growth and development of the Waters College of Health Professions,” said Barry Joyner, Ph.D., dean of the college. “The experiences and expertise of the advisory board members will be valuable resources as we look to enhance the quality, visibility and reputation of the college.”
Additionally, board members will assist with fundraising and development efforts to increase the visibility of the college.
“With the wide breadth of knowledge and accomplished careers represented by our board members, the Waters College Advisory Board has the opportunity to help guide and foster the continued growth of the college and success of our students,” said WCAB Chair Dr. John Hodges, former orthopedic surgeon for the Eagles football team. “Georgia Southern has helped each of us soar and now it’s our turn to help ensure our graduates reach even greater heights.”
In addition to Hodges, WCAB members include:
Rahman Anjorin is a Player Manager in Player Affairs with the NFL Players Association. Anjorin received his B.S. in Exercise Science from Georgia Southern University, MBA and Masters in Sports Business Management from the University of Center Florida, and an Athletic Development Certificate rom Wharton Business School. He is currently enrolled at the University of Idaho as a Ph.D. student studying Adult, Organizational Learning and Leadership.
Anjorin’s professional experience stated with New Mexico State University Athletics. Additionally, he served three plus years with the Kansas City Chiefs in player engagement and has most recently served as an athlete development manager with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Anjorin currently serves as an adjunct professor with the Robert. H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland.
Kathleen Benton
Dr. Kathleen Benton is the President and CEO of Hospice Savannah. Prior to this appointment she served as the Director Ethics and Palliative Care at St. Joseph’s/Candler Hospital for over a decade. Benton earned her doctorate in public health leadership from Georgia Southern University, her masters in bioethics from Case Western Reserve University and her bachelors degree in political science and communications from Furman University. Benton has been the reviewer for numerous peer reviewed journals and is the author of three books. Always civic minded, she sits on the Board of the Daniel DeLoach Memorial Fund and the Proteus Syndrome Foundation.
Benton resides in Savannah with her husband and three children. In addition to caring for them she also provided support to her parents as they cared for her brother who underwent 110 surgeries and thousands of hospitalizations living with the same disease as the Elephant Man, until his death in January 2017.
Kristin Burton
Kristin Burton, PT, DPT, has deep roots a the Armstrong Campus of Georgia Southern. Burton attended Armstrong Atlantic State University and excelled both academically and athletically. Burton graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelors in Rehabilitation Sciences and went on to enter the DPT program, graduating summa cum laude in 2013. Notable, Burton was a 4-time All-American, 3-time Academic All-American, and a 3-time Peach Belt Conference Player of the Year in women’s soccer. She is a member of both the Armstrong and Peach Belt Hall of Fame and still holds many records. She later joined the coaching staff as a graduate assistant and was a member of the team that advanced to the NCAA DII Final Four in 2012.
Professionally, Burton spent the first part of her career working the inpatient rehab unit at a local hospital in Savannah. Recently she purchased her own rehabilitation business, this time servicing canines. In her spar time Burton enjoys traveling, competing in local flag football and soccer leagues, running, and spending time with her family and pups.
Ross Euteneuer
Originally from Philadelphia, PA, Euteneuer resides in Marietta GA. He is a 2013 sport management graduate with cum laude honors from Georgia Southern University. In 2017, he received a Masters in Sport Industry Management from Georgetown University and is currently pursuing an MBA from Villanova University.
Euteneuer has worked across the sports and entertainment industry in event operations and partnership fulfillment for organizations including the Kansas City Chiefs, Major League Soccer, Atlanta Gladiators, the College Football Hall of Fame, and Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Euteneuer has been an active Georgia Southern alumnus, returning to Statesboro frequently to support and advise students and athletes alike. He serves as a sport management alumni speaker and an advisory board member for Athletes in Action.
Lauren Green
Lauren Green is a Nurse Manager at the Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center in Augusta, Georgia. She holds a BS in Nursing from Georgia Southern University. In 2017, she completed a dual masters at the University of Texas at Tyler in Nursing Administration and Business Administration. Her organizational leadership experience includes serving as an officer in the United States Army Nurse Corps.
Green serves as the President of the Alpha Alpha Epsilon Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. She is also a charter member and former Vice President of Public Relations for the Masters Toastmasters Club. She has served in various leadership roles on different nonprofit foundation boards including the San Antonio Ivy Educational Advancement Foundation and the Roseville Community Trust. She was named a member of the 2021 Georgia Southern University 40 under 40 class. She is married to Durrell Green and they have two children, Jace and Mia.
John Hodges
Waters College Advisory Board Chair
Dr. John Hodges recently retired as an orthopedic surgeon, having practiced across Southeast Georgia for more than twenty years. He is an alumnus of the University of Georgia (B.S. in Microbiology) and received his medical degree from the Medical College of Georgia. He completed his residency at the University of Florida, where he served as Chief Resident for the Department of Orthopedic Surgery. Along with his leadership at Optim Orthopedics, Dr. Hodges also served as the orthopedic surgeon for the Georgia Southern football team.
He now serves on the Georgia Southern University Foundation Board, the Advisory Board for Citizens Bank of the South, and the Staff Parish Committee of Statesboro United Methodist Church. He is married to Shannon Hodges and has three children: Margaret, Ian and James.
Brandon Messer
Brandon Messer, with more than 13 years of healthcare experience, currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Landmark Hospital in Savannah, Georgia. Prior to joining the Landmark team, Messer served as the Director of Quality and Risk Management for Encompass Health in Murrells Inlet, Little River and Bluffton, South Carolina. He has held various clinical and leadership roles in short-term acute care, long-term acute care, inpatient rehabilitation and skilled nursing facilities located in the Southeastern United States.
Messer received his bachelor’s degree in respiratory therapy from Armstrong Atlantic State University. He has 13 years of military experience and still serves as a Healthcare Specialist in the United States Army Reserve. In addition, he serves on the Board of Directors for Riverview Health and Rehabilitation and continues to support volunteer efforts of the American Red Cross and the children’s Masonic Home of Georgia.
Bradley Trower
Brad Trower serves as the VP Business Development for St. Joseph’s/Candler Health System since 2014. In this role he implements strategies to expand outpatient and retail business lines and build regional health care access strategies with physicians and rural hospital partners. Additionally, he oversees the Managed Care, Strategic Planning and Physician/Market Relations departments for the health system. Trower started his career with St. Joseph’s/Candler Health System in 1994 ad Department Director for Sports Medicine and then Service Line Director for Orthopedics. In 2010 he became Hospital Administrator for Optim Healthcare’s three critical access hospitals in Southeast Georgia.
Trower received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Georgia Southern University, studying health science and exercise science, respectively. He later earned his MBA from the University of South Carolina. Trower and his wife, Jil, have two children. Addison is a senior in athletic training at the University of Alabama and Zane is a freshman multimedia journalism major at Georgia Southern.
To learn more about the WCAB and its members, visit chp.GeorgiaSouthern.edu/waters-college-advisory-board.
